


Beyond the Sea

by Ruunkur



Category: Digimon Adventure, Digimon Adventure Zero Two | Digimon Adventure 02
Genre: AU for during TRI, M/M, What if alternate timelines existed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-25
Updated: 2019-02-25
Packaged: 2019-11-05 06:47:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17913842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ruunkur/pseuds/Ruunkur
Summary: They died during the events of Tri.That's a fact that Yamato and Daisuke have always been certain of. The others they come across don't remember those times though.They have no one to talk about, no one to confirm what they experienced.Until they chance upon each other, one fateful night.





	Beyond the Sea

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sanbika](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sanbika/gifts).



> First attempt at doing a Yamasuke fic.
> 
> Total dead kid count: 12 + 4.
> 
> For my wonderful friend, Sanbika! And I am a horrendously lazy person, so this did not do more than get spell checked before I posted it.

The drip of water.

The sound of the waves lapping against a shore that Yamato would never find.

The drag of the current, bringing him closer to the depths of the lake, without any hope of escape.

These were what tormented Yamato as he stared at the wall, listening t his partner snore. It was easy to block out the fears when he was awake and around people. Easy to avoid going near the bays of Tokyo. If he could come up with an excuse to avoid them.

Harder, he knew, to get out of taking a shower when he could bring himself to stand the water. It had taken his parents several months to figure out the best way to navigate the interactions with him and bath time, finding a way to reward him without spoiling him.

Since then, he was able to face the water on his own. But still, the sound of it drove him crazy. Being near large bodies made his skin crawl.

Yamato knew what, down to the second, went wrong in his life. Where the world had turned left instead of right, to drag him down the path of fearing the water.

This time, he didn't have a brother. Only a box of ashes sitting on the mantle, a pair of parents that had gone to marriage counseling. When the fateful day came, Yamato begged to not go to camp, calming every illness he could think of.

He couldn't face the digital world a second time, knowing that they would never survive. Even when they had all twelve, they had been unable to defeat Meicoomon.

They had failed.

They had opted for the reboot.

And they got their wish.

~*~*~*~*~

The sound of an animal screeching.

An angry boar pawing the ground.

A cat yowling in the alleyway.

The first time he heard the noise, Daisuke had gone running to his sister, hiding his face. He was terrified, and she had accepted him with open arms, coddling him.

He never remembered he being so nice, before.

It was that night Daisuke began piecing together what he meant by "before" and "now".

It wasn't until he was nearing his end of elementary school that he ran into her. He remembered meeting her before. Remembered being friends.

Remembered the digital world.

The digital world was what put everything into perspective. And, when he approached her, a look of hesitation on his face, to ask about it, she had given him the strangest look, asked if he was okay, and introduced herself.

He had foudn the whole situation strange, but there was nothing he could do but laugh off the joke.

When he first visited and her cat, childishly named "Tail", attacked him, he had spiraled into a panic attack. Hikari had put the cat away and apologized, while Daisuke tried to laugh the whole thing off.

It wasn't until he was about to leave that he asked after Taichi, wondering where her older brother was. The look he had gotten in return made Daisuke regret he asked.

While she never mentioned it, and didn't hold it against him, he understood. Yagami Taichi had died at a young age and, while he was a beloved family member that was missed, one Motomiya Daisuke should not have known that name.

~*~*~*~*~

Yamato was nineteen when he ran into any of the chosen.

It was a surprise when Yamato saw not one, but two of his old friends -honestly, could he have called them friends? They would have been Takeru's friends more than his own- walk in. And, it was while he was taking a break from set, that he decided to mingle with them.

It was hard to disappear into the crowd that he had been playing for just moments before. Everyone wanted to talk to him, ask him questions. But he waved them off, finding the pair that had walked in.

"Enjoying the show?"

He could see they were caught off guard when Yamato materialized in front of them, a smirk curling across his features.

"It's not bad."

The boy that spoke took all of Yamato's attention.

Motomiya Daisuke.

One of the newer chosen that Yamato had gotten close to. Bearing the combined crests of Friendship and Courage, Yamato had come to expect a lot out of the second leader of the chosen.

And he hadn't been disappointed.

"Weren't you the one-" Hikari began, rolling her eyes as Daisuke shot her a look.

Daisuke turned his attention back to Yamato. "Been playing long?"

Yamato saw the quick sweep that Daisuke gave him and he offered the younger teenager a smirk. "Started playing harmonica when I was younger. It helped soothe my brother when he was upset."

Yamato made an effort to not lie, but pulling pieces of the truth from the other world made him feel less guilty, as the years rolled on. He was telling the truth, just not how others imagined the truth to be.

There was a flash of recognition in Daisuke's eyes, the younger teenager opening his mouth before seeming to reconsider. "How old is your brother?"

"He would have been sixteen this year."

"Would have been..." There was a moment of confusion in Daisuke's eyes. A moment that Yamato accepted. No one knew he had a brother. "I'm sorry for your loss."

Yamato shrugged. He waved down a waitress, his sleeve sliding down to show the crest of Friendship tattooed on his inner wrist.

"Whatever these two want to order, on me for the night." The words were soft when the waitress came over, a look of amusement in her eyes. She was used to Yamato flirting with clients, offering to purchase them food and drinks.

She nodded at the request, Daisuke ignoring her in opting to look at the symbol on Yamato's arm. Before he could get a grip on the conversation, Daisuke was lunging forward, pulling Yamato's wrist close.

"This is so cool! I know a lot of people frown upon tattoos, but man..." Daisuke glanced up, seeing Yamato's own amusement spread. "Where's the symbol from?"

Yamato heard Hikari sigh, propping her chin up on her hand.

"It's from a place I visited, when I was younger." Yamato wanted to know just how much Daisuke remembered. If he remembered, or if the question was just curiosity.

"Yama! Are you going to flirt all night or play the rest of the set?"

Yamato looked up when he heard his name, lifting a finger to his band mate before he turned his gaze to Daisuke. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Daisuke-kun."

Yamato was already away before he could be asked anything else, walking up the steps to the stage. He was certain, when he got up there, Daisuke's attention was fully on him.

~*~*~*~*~

"Are you sure you haven't met him before?"

Hikari was sitting in front of Daisuke, a bowl of ice cream in front of her. Two days after the event in which they had gone to the club and one Ishida Yamato spoke with them, Daisuke was still obsessing over the other knowing his name.

"I'm sure! Look, Jun was the whole reason that we went, anyway. She thought it would be a good date idea."

Hikari made a face as Daisuke spoke, the boy letting out a sigh.

"Yes, I have told her that we are not actually dating, I promise. Look, the only place I've heard of an Ishida Yamato before is..."

"Your dreams, I get it. He's popular. Are you sure you haven't run into him before?"

Daisuke let out a huff as Hikari giggled, tossing hair over her shoulder. "Just my dreams, 'Kari. He had the Crest of Friendship tattooed on his wrist."

She let out a little hum, crossing her arms over her chest. "So, he has a tattoo based off a symbol from your dream."

"And he had a brother!"

"And he had a brother. But that doesn't give you much proof that your dreams are real," Hikari began.

"He knew my _name_ , Hikari."

She opened her mouth, then sighed and shook her head. "Okay, he knew your name. He probably knows you, then. In this other world."

Daisuke's eyes flashed, a grin spreading across his face. It wasn't the first time that he had convinced somebody that his dreams were real, or at least they agreed they had some meaning. But it felt nice hearing them.

"Besides, we'll probably never run into him again."

Daisuke saw the look Hikari gave him, offering her a smile. He only jumped when her cat came hissing out of the room, jumping onto the table and spent the next five minutes glowering at Daisuke.

~*~*~*~*~

"Yo, Yama, what's with the long face?"

Three years since Yamato had seen them in the club.

Two years since he had given up hope, convinced himself that Daisuke had been just a illusion.

But, no, he had a photo that someone snapped of him leaning in close to the younger teen, a smirk on his face. A photo that had caused a stir.

He had found Sora, though she was happy working at the flower shop with her mother.

Mimi, who had never returned from America.

Koushiro, who got so lost in his computers, that he hadn't lived past eighteen. Yamato had seen the theories he had, before disappearing, that there was another world out there, mirroring their own. That there were multiple worlds, with each option branching into another world.

Jou, who had gone on to be a doctor. Probably the only one of the four who wouldn't have noticed a difference of times, if they thought about it.

But in all his searching, Yamato had been unable to shake Daisuke from whatever rock he was hiding under after that one night.

"Just thinking." Yamato set his cup down on the table, turning to his band mate. "Are we going to lose steam from our record deal, do you think?"

It was quiet, Yamato pushing himself up from the table as he nodded at the others.

"I'm going for a walk. Down to the cafe at the corner. I'll be back to work on the songs some more after that."

He was halfway out the door when an umbrella was thrust into his arms.

"It's going to rain," the drummer commented, "may as well take it and avoid getting soaked."

Yamato grimaced but accepted the umbrella and headed outside. It wasn't raining now, but he could see the clouds gathering. If he were quick, he could be back to the studio before the rain truly began.

When he stepped into the cafe, the laughter of one Inoue Miyako caught his attention. He let his gaze slide over, feeling his heart clench. Hikari looked a lot like Taichi, though her hair was much more manageable. She was recording Daisuke, who was attempting to balance a cup on his nose.

Which lasted all of two seconds before it came down on the teenager.

"See, that dare would have been more fun if there had been something left in the cup! Up your game a little, huh, Inoue?"

The purple girl huffed as she crossed her arms. "How was I supposed to know you would down it all?"

"Have you ever seen Daisuke take his time while drinking or eating something?" Hikari asked, Yamato passing their table.

Daisuke's hair was longer, brushing the tops of his shoulders as he leaned back, smug. "Come on, you know me better than that, Inoue. Okay, Hikari. I got through that mediocre dare. What do got you for me?"

From the corner of his eye, Yamato caught Hikari looking his way. His hair, usually spiked and gelled, was flat, hanging lose around his ears.

"Name?"

"Takaishi."

The woman nodded, jotting down the name on the cup as he paid.

Yamato took his seat, feeling the gazes on him. When he looked up, he offered the trio a small wave, dropping his gaze back to his phone.

"Ask him out."

Yamato lifted his gaze from his phone when he heard Hikari speak again, cocking an eyebrow at the trio.

"No way!"

"Takaishi?"

Yamato got up at the sound of his brother's name, wondering if these were the type of places he would have liked, if heh ad grown up in this time. Memories of Takeru were precious to Yamato, though he understood that he would never have gotten to see him grow up.

"He could feel eyes on him. It was something he had grown comfortable with. As his band moved up, their fanbase only grew.

"It's just someone that looks like Ishida-san, I told you." Miyako's voice carried, even when the girl tried to keep it down.

"No, that's-"

Yamato turned, lifting his drink to Daisuke when he collected it, his eyes glittering. There was recognition in Daisuke's gaze as Yamato stepped back towards his seat, turning to face the door. He wasn't expecting Daisuke to take the other seat the table, tapping his fingers against it.

"Who are you?"

"You remember, don't you?"

The questions were asked almost at the same time, Daisuke getting his in a beat earlier. The direction of Daisuke's question surprised him, though he could tell that the main surprise for Daisuke lay in his own question.

"Ishida Yamato, bearer of the Crest of Friendship."

"Yeah, I remember."

Their answers seemed to colliade into each other as they spoke, Daisuke shaking his head. "Maybe you should talk first."

Daisuke's voice was rough, shock clear in his words.

"I remember watching Taichi die first, Hikari losing the grip she had on herself, and Raguelmon kicking our asses from this way to Sunday."

_Hitting the water, feeling it drag him down. He tried to swim upwards, tried to find a way. He couldn't fight against the current and he was dragged, further and further down._

_To wake up, screaming as a toddler, in his bed, feeling the sheets struggle to hold him down._

"Yama?"

Yamato snapped back, focusing his gaze on the conversation. "Drowning."

Daisuke frowned, his eyes narrowed before he understood the comment.

"Claws through the chest. Chicomon was down. That... thing ripped through us like we were melted butter."

Yamato tilted his head, turning to meet the gaze of Daisuke's friends. They looked like older version of themselves, less stress held in their shoulders.

"And the others?"

Yamato frowned, shaking his head. "I saw Takeru be cause in a torrent of flames. A pipe had spilled gas, and one of Houomon's attacks clipped it. He was standing too close."

His hand strayed to the cremation necklace, hidden by his shirt. The one piece of jewelry that he had lied to his parents about. Tattoos and scars, he was certain, would scare them less than knowing he had disrespected the rule of never touching his brother's urn.

"Ken's dead."

Yamato nodded along to the news. The young genius, Ichijouji Ken, had shot himself not more than a year prior. The stress had gotten to him and he had chosen to leave behind his brother and parents.

"Koushiro's dead, as well. Taichi, Takeru... two from each generation, it would seem."

The pair were caught in their own little world, Yamato forgetting his drink as Daisuke stared at him. With his hair pulled down by his own wait, he seemed more content with keeping it brushed.

"Hikari has a white cat that seems to hate my guts."

Yamato studied Daisuke, glancing at his forgotten phone. "Do the nightmares still haunt you?"

Daisuke let out a sigh, tipping his head back. "They haunt me more than I would ever want to admit. Jun thought I was weird, even more so when they continued well past elementry. I never bothered to explain it to her, I don't think she would understand."

"They don't remember."

"Nope, not at all!" Daisuke flashed a grin, his face pulling upwards and Yamato had to wonder if it hurt him to smile that wide.

"What's your number?"

The smile faltered when Daisuke registered the question. His brows pulled down as he frowned, meeting Yamato's gaze.

"My number?"

Yamato nodded, sliding Daisuke his phone. "I'll send you a text. You can call me whenever a nightmare wakes you up. We... after you disappeared, we did nothing. It was like we had forgotten you existed. Gennai came to us, in Ken's old Kaiser disguise. The only thing his parents could tell was that they didn't have a son. We fucked up. We left you to die... Maybe, there's another reality where that didn't happen."

Daisuke reached over, taking Yamato's phone. He typed in his number, sending himself a text and set Yamato's phone back down.

"Maybe, but we're in this one. We have to stick with what we know, right?"

Yamato cocked an eyebrow, taking a sip of his cooling drink.

"Also, why Takaishi?"

"Mom's maiden name. It's the one I use when I go out. Less attention that way. I only look like the famous Ishida Yamato, his hair is much more styled."

With that said, Yamato stood up, retrieving his drink and umbrella. He juggled the objects, picking up his phone and nodding at Daisuke.

"Wait-" Daisuke began.

"See you later, Daisuke."

Yamato tossed the words over his shoulder, leaving the teenager to stare afte him in confusion.

~*~*~*~*~

It was easy to be friends with Yamato, in a way that Daisuke had been surprised by. The ideas the pair shared, the memories they could talk about.

It felt freeing, to be able to talk to someone who understood.

After twenty one years, Daisuke felt like he could sleep through the night. Even though he put his phone on silent, do nut disturb, Yamato's calls would always go through. They kept their meetings private, Daisuke brushing off the jokes that Miyako tossed his way.

When Hikari pinned him down about it, he merely looked at her.

"Why do you care?"

She pursed her lips, narrowing her eyes. "I want to make sure that he's not going to hurt you. He's older than us."

"Only by three years, Kari."

"I'm worried about you."

"When was the last time that you got a call from me in the middle of the night?" Daisuke asked.

Hikari paused, letting herself think it over. "At least four months..."

"He knows, 'Kari. That's why I've been spending time with him."

"Well..." Hikari hedged, biting her lip. She pulled a magazine out of her bag, hanging it to Daisuke. "It's not going to print until tomorrow, but just so you know..."

Daisuke took the magazine, raising an eyebrow as he flipped to the cover story.

"Popular band lead, Ishida Yamato, blah blah blah..." Daisuke skimmed over the article, raising his gaze to Hikari. "They seriously think that we're dating?"

"I mean, it's kinda..." Hikari shrugged. "I don't believe you are. If you were, you wouldn't keep your mouth shut about it." Hikari poked him in the chest, Daisuke letting out a sigh.

"Got the news from Miyako?"

Hikari just nodded and Daisuke rolled the magazine up, tapping it against his chin. "Can I keep this?"

"Oh, uh, sure."

Daisuke looked at his phone as Hikari spoke, frowning. "Hey, I'm actually going to be running late for a meeting. I'll see you tomorrow, okay? Lunch at one?"

Hikari nodded, left behind in Daisuke's apartment hallway as the man hurried off.

Daisuke, who had already been about to leave when Hikari showed up, was truly running late now. He hurried down the stairs, the magazine still clutched tightly in his hand. When he reached the apartment he was after, he had to move to the side as a very angry looking woman came stalking out of the door.

"You are a useless piece of shit, Ishida Yamato!"

Daisuke watched as one Takenouchi Sora tossed hair over her shoulder and stalked down the stairway. Daisuke's gaze slid to Yamato, who was framed in the doorway and frowning.

"Quarrel in lover's paradise?" Daisuke asked, Yamato dropping his gaze to the other man.

"We broke up."

Daisuke frowned, Yamato beckoning him in.

"What happened?"

"I tried telling her the truth. She wanted answers as to why I wouldn't take a boat ride with her. She got upset and broke it off with me. I, and this is a quote, am childish to be afraid of a little thing such as water." Yamato glanced at Daisuke, looking down the magazine still rolled up in his hand. "What's that?"

"Oh, someone got a picture of us together. This going to be printed tomorrow. People think you're gay."

Yamato let out a sigh, accepting the magazine when Daisuke handed it to him.

"Courtesy of Miyako?"

"Yep, courtesy of Miyako. Hikari brought it around this morning."

They were standing in front of Yamato's door and Daisuke felt aware of how short he was compared to Yamato. His eyes came level with Yamato's chest. And, it was always a decent view, if he had to admit it.

"Can I clarify something with you?"

The words were spoken over a cup of coffee, sitting at Yamato's table.

"Sure."

They had been staring at their cups in silence for the last twenty minutes, Yamato struggling to come up with something, anything to say. And then he had landed on the one memory that bugged him, the one that he had avoided talking to Daisuke about.

"You were dating ken, when the events with Meicoomon happened, weren't you?"

Daisuke looked up, feeling his heart skip a beat. For both lifetimes, as long as Daisuke could remember, he had been interested in anyone as long as they had a personality. Now, as he had more time to explore the feelings, he had labeled himself as pan.

But, as his nights filled with more and more nothing, and dates passed by without coming to fruition, he had to wonder if it was only for a fellow chosen that he was interested. Hikari, at this point, had been his longest relationship for about two years, before the two had broken it off, Daisuke suggesting she give it a go and ask Miyako out.

That had been when they were sixteen, and going to the club was the first time out as just friends. That was the night Daisuke had seen Yamato, and been convinced that someone else remembered. From where he was sitting, Daisuke could see Yamato's wrists, the tattoos visible. And, he knew from past experiences, there were more hidden on Yamato's body.

Omegamon being predominant on the singer's back.

"Yeah, I was dating Ken at the time."

It took too much effort for him to turn his attention back to the conversation at hand. It was Ken they were discussing, not Yamato.

"What about the time mom caught you and Takeru together?"

Daisuke felt himself flush, dragging the coffee closer to him. That had been two weeks before he died.

"Yeah, I was dating Takeru, too. I mean, it was a recent thing and the whole dying thing kinda... stopped it from being a thing, I guess. But..." Daisuke let out a sigh, "we were in a polyamorous relationship. It was something we were trying. We were fourteen, ya know?" He shrugged, picking up his cup and taking a drink.

"I had a thing with Taichi. It was never... official, of course."

Daisuke raised his gaze to Yamato, surprise scrawled across his face. "But you and Sora..."

"She was the once that convinced Taichi and me to go out, actually. We had been broken up for a while and she was tired of me complaining about Taichi. It was right before Meicoomon as well. I never got to tell him how I feel."

Daisuke swallowed another sip of coffee, trying to force it past the lump in his throat. He could feel Yamato's gaze on him, his eyes dancing in amusement as the cup was replaced on the table.

"But you were dating?" Daisuke asked.

Yamato let out a sigh. "Yeah, we were fooling around. I never got to tell him how he made me feel. And, honestly, I feel as if I missed that chance."

"Kinda hard to tell a dead guy you love him."

"No, I don't, I didn't. I think..." Yamato let out a sigh. His cup was untouched and he reached for it now, wrapping his fingers around it. "I miss the idea of Taichi. And, even back then, I liked the _idea_ of Taichi, but I didn't love him."

"Oh, so..."

"I don't know what would have happened, if we were still in the other timeline. Maybe..." Yamato shrugged.

"Does it bother you?" Daisuke asked.

"Does what bother me?" Yamato frowned, meeting his gaze.

"The article that MIyako's job is going to print. Does it bother you?"

Yamato shrugged. "I don't know, probably not? I mean, they aren't wrong."

Daisuke just stared at him, not sure he was hearing Yamato correctly.

"I still find women aesthetically pleasing, but..."

"But?"

Yamato looked up at him, his eyes flashing.

"I think Sora's right and that I'm in love with someone else. There's a song I've liked, since I was a child. It's from the 40's, from America. 'We'll meet beyond the shores, we'll kiss just like before.' And, another lyric line, 'It's far beyond a star, it's near beyond the moon.' It reminds me of another time." Yamato hummed the lines of song, rather than just saying them.

Daisuke stared at him, trying to piece together what the other was mumbling about. He set his coffee to the side, catching Yamato's attention.

"So?"

"I think I've known for a while that the only person I could be with would understand what I had witnessed." Yamato's eyes flashed as he met Daisuke's gaze, a look crossing his features that Daisuke couldn't pin down. "And, I think I'm in love with you, Daisuke."


End file.
